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    Tide, Feather, Snow: A Life in Alaska
    Unavailable
    Tide, Feather, Snow: A Life in Alaska
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    Tide, Feather, Snow: A Life in Alaska
    Ebook246 pages4 hours

    Tide, Feather, Snow: A Life in Alaska

    By Miranda Weiss

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    "Tide, Feather, Snow is about the resplendence and subtleties of coastal Alaska, and about one woman’s attempt to be fully present in them. Weiss serves as a skilled and poetic witness to a place undergoing incessant change." — Anthony Doerr, author of The Shell Collector

    A memoir of moving to Alaska—and staying—by a writer whose gift for writing about place and natural beauty is reminiscent of John McPhee and Jonathan Raban.

    An extreme landscape in both its beauty and challenges, Alaska is a place where know-how is currency and a novice's mistakes can be fatal. But it is a place for glorious reinvention—a refuge for those desperate to escape . . . and for those looking for something more.

    Miranda Weiss, a young woman who grew up landlocked in a well-kept East Coast suburb, moved to Homer, Alaska, with her boyfriend, determined to make a place for herself in this unfamiliar country where the years are marked by seasons of fish, and where locals carry around the knowledge of tides, boats, and weather as ballast. In Tide, Feather, Snow, Weiss introduces readers to the memorable people and peculiar beauty of Alaska's vast landscape, as she takes us along on her remarkable personal journey of adventure, physical challenge, and culture clash.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateMay 19, 2009
    ISBN9780061869648
    Unavailable
    Tide, Feather, Snow: A Life in Alaska

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    Reviews for Tide, Feather, Snow

    3.5/5

    38 ratings9 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book. I admire Weiss's courage to venture out with her boyfriend, and then, on her own. She found a place to not only survive, but to challenge her and make her a stronger person.
    • 2/5
      I felt this book had lovely description of Alaska (I live in Alaska myself) but I felt it was lacking a plot, a storyline. The story glanced over the personal aspects that draw you in as a reader.
    • 4/5
      The is a wonderful book about life in Alaska.
    • 4/5
      In this memoir of a first season spent living in Alaska, Miranda Weiss takes her readers through both the harshness and the beauty of one of the most beautiful places in America. When Miranda decides to leave Oregon and relocate to Alaska, she is unsure of many aspects of her future. Though she quickly becomes enamored of both the people and the land, she finds herself struggling in her personal relationship with John, the man she has traveled to Alaska with. Miranda is constantly and studiously trying to learn about herself and her surroundings in order to be prepared for every eventuality and to really know herself and this land she now calls home. As Miranda relates her stories of struggle and joy, she intersperses a wealth of little known information about Alaska, from its land to its people to the creatures that inhabit it. From the brazen and discordant sea that surrounds her, to the unspoiled yet littered lands that she lives on, Miranda shares her reflections on the many subjects that make Alaska simultaneously foreign and familiar. Though she is no doubt freer here in this wild place, Miranda is also beset by shifts both in her emotions and in her thoughts about the way of life she now leads. She speaks of the amazing and the everyday with equal respect and awe, and relates how this underdeveloped and under-examined piece of land can be both startling in its raw beauty and brutally dangerous in its complications. In this unflinching look at a life lived in Alaska, Miranda Weiss shares her unique perspective as both a resident and an outsider in a world that has not been completely tamed.I am very much an armchair traveler, and when I get the chance to read a book about a place that I have never visited, I find that my interest in that place is heightened to the point of considering travel plans. The best memoirs of places unknown always inspire such a wanderlust in me and this book was certainly no exception. While reading this story, a little piece of my mind was trying to figure out a way to leave all my possessions behind and move out to what can only be described as a hauntingly beautiful landscape complete with local flavor, scenic views and a wonderful array of flora and fauna.Despite the fact that I have a relative living in Alaska, I know very little about the area. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Weiss' solid and no-nonsense memoir was densely packed with information, relating both to her stay and to the land. Some of the facts revealed here laid out a very different picture than the one I had been expecting. For example, did you know that the Alaskan government actually pays its residents oil dividends each year? In essence, each resident gets a check every year, just for being part of the community. Also, in Alaska, there is a certain period when residents are allowed to wade into the bay during salmon spawning season and catch as many fish as they can entice into their nets. As Weiss explains, this is a very easy way for the inhabitants to catch enough fish to put away for the long cold winter. Such things seemed like novelties to me, but for Weiss and her fellow Alaskans, it was all a part of the way of life. Much mention was made about conservation of natural resources and it was interesting to me to find out that the parts of Alaska that were not being exploited for oil and other resources were primarily wild and uninhabited spaces. Weiss also speaks of the changes that have occurred in the recent years to fishing in Alaska. It seems that when one resource is exhausted, like shrimp and crab for example, another resource is tapped for the benefit of fisheries that ship all over the world.One of the things I liked about this book was the way Weiss describes her life and stay in Alaska. I found her personal dramas to be some of the most compelling sections of the book, but I often felt that these were not explored in enough depth. It was curious that just when she would start to open up about her concerns over her relationship and way of life, she would quickly return to factual information about the land she has made her home. I came to feel that she was hiding within her narrative and I would have liked to see more of her heart and read more about her thought processes. Over all the layers of hurt and confusion, there seemed to be a patina of facts that, while they enabled me to get to know more about the land, kept me further and further away from the feelings of the actual woman who was penning this story.Part of Weiss' conundrums over living in Alaska had to do with the qualities of the land itself. She explains that while it's a beautiful place, much of it has been spoiled by the constant pollution of its people. She relates how some stretches of land are littered with broken down and rusted vehicles, crab pots and other refuse. She comes to conclude that parts of the land are literally overrun by litter, which causes the landscape to look more dilapidated than it should. She also speaks about the environmental damage caused by fisheries and oil drilling. I was shocked to find out that oil was allowed to be drilled from private property over the objections of the owners. I think this has to do with unfettered access to the land that was sold to other countries. In all, Weiss paints a picture of a society and way of life that seems in danger of collapsing, which is really sad when you stop to think about it.Not surprisingly, the relationships that Weiss forms with her neighbors and with others in her community seem to be a large part of survival in this hostile place. Time and time again, Weiss relates the ways in which one neighbor or friend helps another and the ways that these strings of acquaintances shape and affect the way that one can live successfully on the land. I find this to be really fascinating, for in most parts of this country, people have very little to do with their neighbors and community and it seems this is another foreign aspect to living in such a place. Alaskans, as Weiss notes, don't make judgments about the way that other people live, and whether it's in a trailer, tent or yurt, people seem to accept all ways and permutations of living their lives.I really enjoyed the time I spent reading this book, and although I wish it there had been a little more of a personal bent to this story, I was excited to get the chance to learn so much about a place that was unknown to me. I think those readers who enjoy a comprehensive study of areas that might be unfamiliar to them would probably enjoy this book, but if you are looking for a memoir that deals with the more personal subjects of a life lived in Alaska, you might not find it here. Overall, this was a book that inspired me to want to travel, if not permanently, than at least for the short term!
    • 2/5
      I've learned that authors read the reviews I write here, so I don't want to be too snarky. But really, a book needs a narrative arc. It can't just be a linear recitation of events, even if thy take place in remote Alaska. Weiss had the arc, she just didn't include it until the book was nearly over: she left her husband. What? I was rapidly skimming at that point, and thought I'd missed a whole section, but no, it took her two pages to tell us. Why? What were her feelings during all the time they were married? We never find out. Just a lot about Alaska, which we could have read in a Rough Guide to Alaska. (plus, I'm sorry, but can't they teach the difference between "lay" and "laid" in the MFA program at Columbia?
    • 4/5
      Very well written memoir about moving to Alaska. Weiss descriptions of life in Homer and the landscape gave me more of a feel for what it must be like than other books I've read about Alaska. I really liked her depiction of kayaking across open water and when they went on the birding trip. I also like her exploration of being alone of being part of a couple.
    • 4/5
      In the late 1990s Miranda Weiss moved from the continental US to Homer, Alaska. This memoir chronicles Weiss's first two years in Alaska, her relationship to the land, her boyfriend, and the difficult decision of whether to stay in Alaska. Weiss had always been fascinated with Alaska, and she had worked in the wilderness before, in remote areas of national parks. But none of this prepared her for the realities of Alaska. In this memoir Weiss weaves together discussion of the natural wonders and dangers of ALaska along with her own experiences of her new life. The dramatic tides, salmon migrations, and persistent dark of winter all make for more interesting writing than one might expect of a memoir that is heavily focused on climate and weather conditions. For those of us in the lower forty-eight, some of the conditions in Alaska are likely shocking. Weiss knew more than a few people who lived without running water and indoor toilets by choice. Weiss had to ski a half-mile to and from her car in the dead of winter, donning a headlamp. Most of us can't imagine this sort of life- I surely could not. Weiss also discusses the attitudes and assumptions of Alaskans- putting high premiums on time resided in the state. Alaska has always had a reputation as the last frontier, and Weiss's memoir proves that it is just as susceptible to the sort of mythology that has characterized other American frontiers. Perhaps significant is the myth of self-sufficiency. Weiss notes that a desire for simpler lives and self-sufficiency has drawn many to Alaska, but Alaska also has more federal government involvement than just about any other state, likewise, the resettlement of Americans from other states in Alaska means that record amounts of supplies have to be flown in to the state. The contradictions are interesting, and Weiss is clearly attuned to them. It took me a few chapters to get into this book, but it ultimately drew me in. I knew very little of Alaska and I found Weiss's descriptions engaging. She does an excellent job of conveying the extremes and dangers that shape everyday life in Alaska.
    • 4/5
      Tide, Feather, Snow is a memoir of the author’s years making a home in the community of Homer, Alaska. The book is a delightful mix of inspired awe at the majestic natural world, and a wry look at the personal foibles of the author and other community members. Within a single chapter, I was enthralled by the vivid details of a variety of wildlife, and chuckling at the “dose of reality” of a backyard junkyard created by a man who claims to be an environmentalist (after all, he reuses and recycles).The author is pretty circumspect about her personal relationships, even as she paints a very vivid picture of her daily life and that of her neighbors. Don’t expect a memoir filled with emotional connections to her closest friends and relatives. Do expect a very realistic “slice of life”, including a reverence for the natural world.Miranda Weiss’ writing style is easy and engaging. Her chapters sometimes start with fairly deep revelations about the nature of the Alaska life, then wander far afield, and unexpectedly circle back to the original topic. But I didn’t mind the wandering at all. It was like a meandering conversation with a friend.
    • 4/5
      For many years I have been intrigued by Alaska. I have heard stories from people who have traveled there, read magazines and books that featured this mysterious place. I have longed to visit, all the while knowing that chances of that happening were slim, at best. I recently read Not One Drop by Rikki Ott, a book that tells the story of the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez disaster as it relates to Cordova and its people. An engrossing and compelling read, that made me want to learn more. When this book became available, I knew I wanted to read it, and I am glad to have the opportunity to do so. It too explores the vastness and purity of our forty ninth state. It paints a picture of the beauty as well as the hard core grittiness to be found there. This book takes us across Alaska and allows us to look into the lives and homes of some of the people who have chosen to make the state their home, as well as those who were born there. I think this is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good adventure story, learning about another way of life, or simply enjoys reading a memoir about someone who is essentially like them, an ordinary person but one who makes extraordinary choices.